Portable ink-removal device for ink rolls



June 8, 1965 Fl 61 J 10. 1963 1 e une 78 Fig.2

E. J- JENNINGS ETAL PORTABLE INK-REMOVAL DEVICE FOR INK ROLLS 3 Sheets-Sheet l 72 lm R2 L R 5 R3 INVENTORS EDWARD J. JENNINGS 8 ROBERT J. TAGUE J1me 1955 E. J. JENNINGS ETAL 3,187,670

PORTABLE INK-REMOVAL DEVICE FOR INK ROLLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1963 INVENTORS EDWARD J. JENNINGS a ROBERT J AGUE J1me 1955 E. J. JENNINGS ETAL PORTABLE INK-REMOVAL DEVICE FOR INK ROLLS Filed June 10. 1963 '3 Sheets-Sheet 3 EDWARD J. JENNINGS 8 ROBERT J. TAGUE United States Patent 3,187,670 EGRTAELE IIlK-REMUVAL DEVECE FGR INIQROLLS Edward .l'. Jennings, 1024 31st Ave., Beilweod, Ill, and Robert .3. Tague, 4998 E. Lake Shore Drive, Wonder Lake 3, Ill.

Filed June 10, 1953, Ser. No. 286,721 3 Claims. ((11. Nib-425) The present invention relates to a portable ink removal device for ink rolls and particularly for the ink rolls of rotary printing presses, duplicating machines and the like.

Heretofore, it has been customary to clean the ink rolls of a printing press either prior to or directly after a shutdown or for the purpose of changing to a difierent colored ink by applying a solvent to the ink-coated surfaces of the rolls by way of a saturated rag or sponge and'thereafter wiping the rolls with clean waste or cloths. In an effort to obviate such time-consuming operations, there have been devised various types of scraper attachments which are capable of installation upon the frameworks of printing presses. Such devices embody scraper blades which are designed for direct scraping contact with the particu lar rolls to be cleaned and they must be designed especially for the presses to which they are applied and hence they are not interchangeable on presses which vary in their constructional details. Furthermore, a scraper attachment of the aforementioned character is not useable when the direction of rotation of the associated ink roll is reversed and it cannot be switched from one side of the ink roll to the other due to the constructive reversal of rotation of the roll that automatically takes place when such switching is attempted. Additionally, since such a scraper attachment must be fixedly attached to the press framework or some other permanent part of the press and, when so attached, it must contact the entire surface of the roll. This means that the scraper, in certain instances, must be extremely long and this is conducive toward so-called rippling. Still further, it is necessary to shut down the press while the attachment is being applied, as well as While it is being removed. Finally, disposal or" the scraped ink presents a problem as does also any caking of the ink on the eiiective scraping edge of t e scraper blade.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above-noted limitations that are attendant upon prior hand methods of swabbing the ink rolls of a printing press or the like for ink-removing purposes, or upon the use of conventional scraper attachments on the printing press. Accordingly,'the invention contemplates the provision of a novel portable ink-removal device which may he manu ally applied to either side of a rotating ink roll for inkremoval purposes; which, without modification or alteration, will accommodate the roll regardless of its actual or constructive direction of rotation; which embodies a scraper blade that makes no direct contact whatsoever with the particular ink roll to which the device is applied but instead makes scraping contact with an associated ink transfer roll, thus protecting the ink roll from possible damage; which is not necessarily a long as the longitudinal extent or the roll undergoing ink-removing or cleaning so that rippling of its scraper blade is avoided; which requires no stopping of the press preparatory to application of the device to the ink roll; which affords an easy and immediate solution to the problem of any ink caking that may occur during use thereof; and which "ice further simplifies the problem of disposal of the resultant ink scrapings. v

The provision of a portable ink-removal device of the character briefly outlined above and possessing the stated advantages being among the principal objects of the invention,.further objects are to provide an ink-removal device which is eXtrernely simple in its construction and may, therefore, be manufactured at a low cost; one which is rugged and durable and, therefore, is unlikely to get out of order; one which may easily be assembled and dismantled for purposes of inspection, replacement or repair of parts; one which is smooth and silent in its operation, and one which, otherwise, is well adapted to perform the services required of it.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention, not at this time enumerated, will become readily apparent as the following description ensues.

In the accompanying three sheets of drawings forming a part of this specification, one illustrative embodiment of the invention has been shown.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable ink-removal device constructed in accordance with the principles. of the present invention and showing the ink trough cover plate detached from the device and in exploded fashion;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIG. 1 and in the direction indicated by the arrows, the device being shown as applied to the left-hand side of an ink roll which rotates in a clockwise direction as seen in this view;

FIG. 3 is a rear right end perspective View of the device, certain parts being shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4 -4 of FIG. 3 and in the direction indicated by the arrows, the device being shown as applied to the left-hand sideof an ink roll which rotates'in a counterclockwise direction as Seen in this View;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the device, certain parts being broken away and other parts being shown in section for illustrative purposes;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional View through one end of the rockshaft for the scraper blade of the device.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, an ink-removal device embodying the principle of the present invention has been shown in its entirety in FIGS. 1 and 3 and designated by the reference numerallh. In FIG. 2 the device is shown as being operatively applied to the lefthand side of a printing press inkroll R which may be assumed to rotate in a clockwise direction as shown by the arrow in FIG. 2. In FIG. 4, the device is shown in the position which it assume when applied to the roll R when the latter is rotated in the; opposite direction as indicated by the arrow. V

For environmental purposes and for an understanding of the operation of the device it}, it is deemed necessary to show only the particular ink roll R of the printing press to which the device is actually applied, together with portions of adjacent contacting rolls R1, R2, R3 and R4. The device 10 may be applied to any one of several ink rolls which are associated with and form parts of the press and, by application of the device to the one roll R, cleaning of the entire system of rolls leading from the ink fountain of the press will beattained because it is a characteristic of printing ink that it wiil spread and distribute itself uniformly throughout an entire series of rolls. The roll R may be assumed to be an intermediate roll and, by application of the device to this roll, if-the ink supply from the fountain has been interrupted, it will be only a few minutes before all of the rolls in the series will become clean. If a different ink has been introduced as the founta-inin place of that originally supplied to the rolls, within a very short time all of the rolls will be free of the original ink and ready for coating with the substituted ink.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the ink removal device Iii-involves in its general. organization a framework including a pair of side plates 12 and 14 which are of substantially identical C-shape design and are maintained in spaced apart parallelism by means of four longitudinally extending cylindrical rods 16, 18, and 22 (see .also FIG. 5). As will be pointed out in greater detail hereafter, the rod 16 is of greater diameter than the threeother rods and serves, in addis tion to its spacing function, as a rockshaft for movably supporting the hereinafter described ink trough and scraper blade. The rod 18 serves solely as a combined connector and spacer rod. The rods 20 and 22, in' addition to their side plate spacing function, constitute fixed axially extending supports for a pair of hollow or tubular rollers 24 and 26. The roller 24 constitutes a .transfer roller inasmuch as when operatively positioned against'an ink roll to be cleaned it effects transfer of ink from such. roll to the scraper blade which is associated with the device 19 and the nature of which will be made clear presently. The roller 26 constitutes. an idler or stabilizing roller inasmuch as when positioned against the ink roll it serves to stabilize the device 10 against tilting on the surface of the ink roll. It-will also be described presently. a

Each side plate'12 and 14 includes a main body part 28 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) from which there projects forwardly a pair of vertically spaced arms 30 and 32, the

arm. 30 serving to support the adjacent end of the rod 7 20 and the arm 32 serving to support the adjacent end of the rod 22. Allen head-type anchoring screws 34- suitable material and are held in position by rivets 42.

The extensions 38 and the strips 40 constitute composite handles 44 for the ink-removal device as a whole.

a The rollers 24 and 26 are rotatable upon their respective supporting rods 20 and 22 by means of internal ball bearing assemblies 46 (see FIG. 5) within the ends ofthe rollers. The two. rollers are substantially identical in their constructionand have limited end play on the respective rods on which they are mounted, their axial sliding movement being limited by the side plates 12 and 14.

As best'shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a combined ink trough and scraper blade assembly 50 is supported on the rod .16. The ends of the 'rod 16 are rotatable in holes 52 in the side plates 12 and: 14 of the framework (see. also FIG. 7). Cup-shaped collars 54 extend around the end regions of the rod 16. They: arefsecured in place on the ends of'the rod 16' by set screws 55 and serve the dual function of preventing axial shifting of said rod 16 and of enclosing biasing springs 56 which encircle theend regions of the :rod 16. These springs have ends secured to anchor posts 58 on the framework side plates and their outer ends secured to anchor posts 60 on the collars. A relatively thin spring steel scraper blade 62, which is coextensive with the span along the springs 56 serve to bias the rod 16 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 in order that the distal scraping edge 70 of the. scraper blade 62 engages the transfer roller 24 with the plane of the blade lying tangent to the cylindrical surface of the roller 24.

Small angle pieces 72 (see FIG. 1) are secured by screws 74 to the end portions of the angle backing strip 64 and these angle pieces in turn support side pieces 76 which are secured thereto to screws 78. An elongated removable plate 80 having a laterally turned flange 82 completes the ink troughpart of the assembly 50, this plate being positioned and-secured in place by way of wing nuts 84 which are .threadedly received on studs 86 which project rearwardly from the angle backing strip 64 and project through slots 88 in the flange 62 of the plate 80.

Asshown in FIG. 4, the above described trough part of the assembly 50 is generally in the form of a relatively flat box-like structure having a forward open generally rectangular mouth 90. The removable plate 80 constitutes one side wall of the trough part and the scraper blade 62 constitutes the other side wall. One flange of the right angle backing strip 64 constitutes the bottom wall of the trough part, while the side pieces 76 constitute the end walls of the trough part. In the position in which the trough part of the assembly 50 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the axis of the trough part extends on a slight incline as indicated by the dotted line x-x with the trough part lying nearly horizontally so that the plate 80 overlies the scraper blade 62. The springs 56 bias the trough and scraper blade assembly as a whole so that the scraping edge 70 bears against the upper side of the transfer roller 24 in such a manner that ink scrapings issuing from the transfer roller will collect on the upper face of the scraper blade 62 and flow downwardly in the inclined trough part and establish a pool of the ink on the scraper blade 62.. In the position in which the trough and scraper blade assembly 50 is shown in FIGS.'3 and 4, the axis of the trough part also. extends on a slight incline as indicated by the dotted line yy with the trough part lying nearly horizontally so that the scraper blade 62 overlies the plate 80. The springs 56 bias the assembly 50 as a whole so that the scraping edge 70 of the. scraper blade 62 bears against the under- 7 neath side of the transfer roller 24. The ink scrapings Operation The two series of ink rolls which are associated with a large printing press or duplicating machine are invariably symmetrical in their disposition with respect to each other so that there is a constructive reversal of rotation when the ink-removal device 10 of the present invention is applied to corresponding rolls of the two series on opposite sides of a printing press. Under certain circumstances, there may be an actual reversalof rotation involving the same .roll. in either event, whether the reversal of rotation be actual 'or'construotive, the present ink removal device. will accommodate both directions of rotation of the particular roll to which it is applied. ,In use, the .device510 is :manually supported by the handles '44 and the tworollers 24 and 26 are simply pushed or pressed against the cylindrical surface of the roll R undergoing cleaning with the axes of the rollers 24 and 26 extending parallel to the axis of the roll to be cleaned. Becausethe two rollers 24 and 26 are spaced apart an appreciable distance, forward thrust of the device against the roll R will serve to stabilize the device on the roll and maintain an equality of pressure that cannot be attained when applying a single roller to a rotary roll. If the device is applied to the left-hand side of a roll which rotates in a clockwise direction as illustrated in FIG. 2, or if it is applied .to the right-hand side of a roll which rotates in a counterclockwise direction, application of the device will be made with the transfer roller 24 generally overlying the stabilizing roller 26 and with the trough part of the assembly 56 assuming an elevated position above the level of the handles 44. On the other hand, if the device is applied to the left-hand side of a roll which rotates in a counterclockwise direction as illustrated in FIG. 4, or if it is applied to the right-hand side of a roll which rotates in a clockwise direction, application of the device will be made with the stabilizing roller 26 generally overlying the transfer roller 24 and with the trough part of the assembly 56 assuming a lower position below the level of the handles 44.

Regardless of which of the two ways the ink-removal device may be applied to a given ink roll, the roller 24 functions in manner of an ink transfer roller to gather ink by molecular adhesion from the ink roll of the printing press and transfer the same to the scraper blade 62. This phenomenon of ink transfer is enhanced by the previously, described characteristic of printing ink which enables .the ink freely to spread and distribute itself uniformly throughout an entire series of contacting or tangentially disposed rolls. The roller 26 is essentially a stabilizing roller and this roller, in combination with the ink transfer roL-ler 24, insures stability of the device 10 as a whole when applied to a given ink roll.

Considering now a left-hand application of the inkremoval device to a roll, such as the roll R as shown in FIG. 2 and which may have either an actual or a constructive clockwise direction of rotation, the application is made with the ink transfer roller 24 overlying the stabilizing roller 26 and with the ink trough part of the assembly 54 assuming an uppermost position in the device. The ink scrapings from the roll R which enter the trough part of the assembly 50 through the open mouth or rim 90 collect on the scraper blade 62'and flow rearwardly and downwardly in the trough part and establish a pool of ink therein. 'For convenience, when applying the device in this manner, the plate St may be removed but such removal is not actually essential. From time to time, when the level of ink in the pool rises and approaches the lowermost level of the open mouth 90 of the trough part, the operator may remove the device 10 from the rotating roll R undergoing cleaning, if the same has not previously been removed, and cause the assembly St) to be inverted so that the ink contents of the trough part thereof will pour from the open mouth and be received in a suitable waste ink bucket or other receptacle. For a more thorough emptying or cleaning of the assembly 50, the thumb screws 84, 86 may be loosened and the plate 80 removed before the pouring operation. If the longitudinal extent of a given roll undergoing cleaning is greater than the longitudinal extent of the transfer roller 24, the operator will shift the device 1! longitudinally of the roll from side to side so as to insure coextensive cleaning of the surface of the roll.

Considering now a left-hand application of the inkrernoval device 10 to a roll such as the roll R as shown in FIG. 4 and which may have either an actual or a constructive clockwise direction of rotation, the application is, made with the stabilizing roller 26 overlying the ink transfer roller 24 and with the assembly 50 assuming a lowermost position within the device It). The ink scrapings from the roll R which enter the trough part of the assembly 50 through the open mouth 90 thereof will, depending upon the viscosity or tenacity thereof, drip from the scraper blade 62 and collect on the removable plate 89 therebeneath, thus establishing a pool of ink, or these scrapings will adhere to the inclined scraper blade by molecular attraction and flow in a circuitous path across the underneath side of the blade and down the bottom Wall of the trough as established by the nearly vertical flange 82 of the removable plate 80 into the pool of ink. Emptying of the trough part of the assembly 50 of ink from time to time as required may be efieeted in the manner previously described in connection with either an actual or constructive clockwise rotation of the roll R undergoing cleaning.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawings or described in this specification as various changes in-the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, only insofar as the invention has particularly been pointed out in the accompanying claims is the same to be limited.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable manually applicable reversible self-contained ink-removal device for cleaning ink from a printing press roll or the like and comprising a framework including a pair of spaced apart parallel side plates providing handles for the device, an ink transfer roller and a stabilizing roller having their opposite ends rotatably supported upon the side plates and extending thereacross in spaced parallel'relationship, said device being manually and selectively positionable against one side of a rotating ink roll with either the transfer roller overlying or underlying the stabilizing roll, and with both rollers in driven contact with the rotating press roll to be cleaned under the influence of manual pressure, a scraper blade carried by the framework and having a free edge in permanently positioned substantially tangential yielding scraping contact with the transfer roller, and an ink trough having an open ink-receiving mouth in the vicinity of said transfer roller for receiving the ink scrapings from said free edge of the scraper blade, said scraper blade constituting one side wall of the ink trough, said ink trough including a removable plate opposite to and spaced from the scraper blade and constituting the opposite side wall of the ink trough, said scraper blade underlying the removable plate and being adapted to receive and support ink scrapings on one side thereof when the device is positioned with the transfer roller overlying the stabilizing roller, said removable plate underlying the scraper blade when the device is positioned with the transfer roller underlying the scraper blade and being adapted to receive and support ink scrapings which flow by gravity from the scraper blade. e

2. 'A portable manually applicable reversible'self-contained ink-removal device for cleaning ink from a printing press roll or the like and comprising a framework including a pair of spaced apart parallel side plates providing handles for the device, an ink transferroller and a stabilizing roller having their opposite ends rotatably supported upon the side plates and extending thereacross in spaced parallel relationship, said device being manually and selectively positionable against one side of a rotating ink roll with either the transfer roller overlying or underlying the stabilizing roller, and with both rollers in driven contact with the rotating press roll to be cleaned under the influence of manual pressure, a rockshaft extending between t e side plates and having its opposite ends rotatably journalled therein, an ink trough secured to the rockshaft and including opposed side walls, opposed end walls and a bottom wall, one of said side walls being in the form of a relatively thin scraper blade having a scraper edge designed for coextensive scraping contact with the surface of the transfer roller on the side thereof remote from the stabilizing roller and with the blade extending substantially tangentially of the transfer roller, spring means yieldingly biasing the rockshaft, and consequently the ink trough bodily as a whole, in a direction to effect yielding pressure of the scraper blade against the transfer roller, said trough lying on a slight incline with respect to the horizontal in either selected position of the device so that in one position of the device the scraper blade constitutes a tray-like support 7 for ink scrapings issuing directly from the scraper edge, and in the other position thereof the side wall opposite to the scraper blade underlies the scraper blade and constitutes a tray-like support for ink scrapings falling thereon from said scraper edge.

1, 7 r 4 8 V r 3. A portable ink-removal device as setlforth in elaim 2,691,344 10/ 54 McMullen 101-425 2 and wherein the side wall opposite to' said scraper 2,832,289 4/58 Mitchell et a1 101-425 blade is removable from the ink though. 2,970,541 2/61 Gegenheimer 101-425 References Cited by the Examiner 5 FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS I 522,747 9/53 Belgium.

' 1,058,040 4/13 Orump 101---425 2,199,469 5/40 Seal et a1 101425 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Pnmary Exammer.

2,341,020 2/44 Curtis ,101 4z5 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Examiner, 

1. A PORTABLE MANUALLY APPLICABLE REVERSIBLE SELF-CONTAINED INK-REMOVAL DEVICE FOR CLEANING INK FROM A PRINTING PRESS ROLL OR THE LIKE AND COMPRISING A FRAMEWORK INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED APART PARALLEL SIDE PLATES PROVIDING HANDLES FOR THE DEVICE, AN INK TRANSFER ROLLER AND A STABILIZING ROLLER HAVING THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED UPON THE SIDE PLATES AND EXTENDING THEREACROSS IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP, SAID DEVICE BEING MANUALLY AND SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE AGAINST ONE SIDE OF A ROTATING INK ROLL WITH EITHER THE TRANSFER ROLLER OVERLYING OR UNDERLYING THE STABILIZING ROLL, AND WITH BOTH ROLLERS IN DRIVEN CONTACT WITH THE ROTATING PRESS ROLL TO BE CLEANED UNDER THE INFLUNECE OF MANUAL PRESSURE, A SCRAPER BLADE CARRIED BY THE FRAMEWORK AND HAVING A FREE EDGE IN PERMANENTLY POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIAL YIELDING SCRAPING CONTACT WITH THE TRANSFER ROLLER, AND AN INK TROUGH HAVING AN OPEN INK-RECEIVING MOUTH IN THE VICINITY OF SAID TRANSFER ROLLER FOR RECEIVING THE INK SCRAPINGS FROM SAID FREE EDGE OF THE SCRAPER BLADE, SAID SCRAPER BLADE CONSTITUTING ONE SIDE WALL OF THE INK TROUGH, SAID INK TROUGH INCLUDING A REMOVABLE PLATE OPPOSITE TO AND SPACED FROM THE SCRAPER BLADE AND CONSTITUTING THE OPPOSITE SIDE WALL OF THE INK TROUGH, SAID SCRAPER BLADE UNDERLYING THE REMOVABLE PLATE AND BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT INK SCRAPINGS ON ONE SIDE THEREOF WHEN THE DEVICE IS POSITIONED WITH THE TRANSFER ROLLER OVERLYING THE STABILIZING ROLLER, SAID REMOVABLE PLATE UNDERLYING THE SCRAPER BLADE WHEN THE DEVICE IS POSITIONED WITH THE TRANSFER ROLLER UNDERLYING THE SCRAPER BLADE AND BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT INK SCRAPINGS WHICH FLOW BY GRAVITY FROM THE SCRAPER BLADE. 